Author: Parth Dhebar

Usually, Apple doesn’t allow apps in the App Store that allow users to unlimited tether for a one time fee, but it looks like Tether.com’s app has somehow been approved into the App Store. Their application is called “iTether“, which allows users to share their iPhone’s internet connection with their Mac or PC computer over USB. iTether costs $14.99 and is available via the App Store.

Tether offers applications for the Mac and PC; so the app should work on both platforms. Running the apps on your iPhone and your Mac allows your Mac to use your iPhone’s internet connection over a USB cable. With iPhone’s built-in tethering feature, users have the option to tether via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, but this app currently does not support either. Apple usually does not allow such applications to become available on the App Store due to agreements with carriers.

Nobody knows how long this app will be available via the App Store; so, grab it quick! Also, it should be noted that AT&T is cracking down on unofficial iPhone tethering.

Hot off the press today, Apple has revealed on its U.S. online store page that it will be offering free shipping on all orders placed through December 22nd. Free shipping from Apple normally requires a minimum $50 purchase. The new offer allows customers to save some money on lower-cost purchases such as accessories. Apple made the annoucement was the online store on “Cyber Monday”, or the first Monday following the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. Usually, the company does not offer any Cyber Monday deals, but did participate in Black Friday last week.

The free shipping promotion continues through Dec. 22, but applies only to the U.S. Customers in other countries, including Canada, the U.K., France, and Spain receive free standard shipping on all orders placed Monday. Unfortunately, the free shipping offer in those countries does not extend beyond Monday.

To top it off, Apple is also offering other benefits such free engraving on iPods and iPads, signature gift wrapping, and build-to-order Mac configurations as reasons to purchase directly from Apple.

Since day one, Apple has been criticized for having a closed ecosystem and not giving customers choice. Apparently, this is what makes the company considered to be “evil.” HA! Think again, folks. A new study reveals that iPhone owners are the most loyal smartphone users in Apple’s ecosystem, driving an over 80% retention rate for the device. Hold up! An “open” OS doesn’t have the highest retention rate? How can this be?

A report released by research firm GfK shows that 84% of current iPhone owners plan to purchase another Apple handset when they replace their cellphone, with many smartphone users saying the ecosystem of a mobile OS is a determining factor when upgrading, according to Reuters. Yeah, makes sense. Just think about it…if all of your content was in one ecosystem, why switch? Also, which other ecosystem offers an amazing service like iCloud for free?

The study was conducted over 4,500 interviews of smartphone owners in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Brazil, China, the U.S. and Japan, finding that the iPhone had the highest retention of customers, followed by devices running Google’s Android OS and RIM’s BlackBerry, with 60% and 48% respectively. According to GfK analyst Ryan Garner, he notes that an average 63% of respondents plan to replace their current device with one running the same OS. In fact, manufactures are also trying to gain customer loyalty since the mobile market is quickly being saturated. Shockingly, one in five consumers who own both an iPad and iPhone believe that switching to another OS would be more difficult than changing bank accounts or gas or electricity providers.

This leads me to believe that maybe customers just want a fantastic product that just works after-all.

Earlier this year, it was confirmed that Apple is opening a new store in New York’s Grand Central soon, and it looks absolutely stunning. The store is expected to occupy 23,000 feet (crazy!). It is also expected to generate half-a-billion in sales a year!

Today, Apple has sent a photo of a new display outside the still-under construction store to Gothamist, which says: “Apple Store. Grand Central. Arriving Soon.” An anonymous source told the New York Post that the store is on track to open on Friday, Dec. 9. The report also suggested that a media event is being planned by Apple and railroad officials for that date, though the initial opening could be a VIP-only event with a public grand opening on Saturday, Dec. 10. However, no official grand opening date has been given from Apple.

Apple reached a 10 year deal with the New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority in July for the space, and paid $5 million to buy out the remaining eight years on Charlie Palmer’s Metrazur restaurant’s lease. The company is said to be paying anywhere from $800,000 to $1.1 million per year in rent for the location.

As if patent lawsuits weren’t enough for copy-cat Samsung, now they have started to mimic iPhone line waiters. I really don’t understand how a company is supposed to win existing iPhone customers overs by insulting Apple product owners, but OK. Today, a new television ad by Samsung demonstrates its on-going rivalry with Apple by taking a swing at customers waiting in line for the iPhone. To me, this seems like a sign of jealousy. Why? Because nobody ever waits in line for a Samsung phone. In fact, when was the last time Apple insulted any of its customers during an iPhone ad? If you answered never, that’s correct.

According to Mashable, Samsung’s Galaxy S II smartphone commercial was set to debut on Facebook on Tuesday and begin airing on TV on Thanksgiving. The ad starts off by showing groups of people waiting in line in major cities across the U.S. in an obvious reference to the crowds that Apple traditionally draws to its iPhone product launches. Samsung also takes a stab at battery problems with the iPhone 4S. HA! Who are they kidding? Android has had power management problems since day one, but have they ever mentioned that? Nope. In addition, Apple has already fixed the battery life issue. What’s really shameful is that Samsung does not mention the drawbacks of their phone. Unlike Apple, unfortunately, they continue to lie. For example, Samsung does not mention your phone may never receive an update. In an iPhone commercial, Apple demonstrates the true iPhone experience.

The commercial also demonstrated a complaint that appeared after the iPhone 4S was unveiled. “If it looks the same, how will people know I upgraded?” a line-waiter asked. Why, yes, Samsung! That would explain why they are selling like hotcakes. The company ends the ad by boasting about the screen size and 4G capabilities. Once again, the lack of those two features in the iPhone 4S would explain why the iPhone 4S is selling like hotcakes, right? Samsung’s ad concluded with the tagline: “The next big thing is already here.” That’s what…uhh, never-mind.

I personally find this offensive since I have waited in line many times before for an Apple product launch. The way Samsung portrays people waiting in line is not true in reality. Period.

A while ago, PC makers announced an Apple MacBook Air copy known as the “Ultrabook”. These Ultrabooks are backed by Intel and the goal is to create affordable thin-and-light notebooks that can undercut the MacBook Air on price. How’s that working out for them? Well rumor has it that initial shipments are under 50k. What a joke.

Today, industry sources reported to DigiTimes that PC makers face limited capacity of unibody chassis, because computer numerical control, or CNC, machines can only produce one unibody frame every three hours. So if you do the math, that means that one machine can only produce eight units per day. In fact, Catcher Technology, the largest unibody chassis maker, is said to be still giving priority supply to Apple. Hmmm…I wonder why? Maybe because Apple has a huge cashpile, which allows them to control the supply chain, and MacBook Airs actually generate money!

In an attempt to copy the design of the MacBook Air, Ultrabook makers have also had a hard time securing unibody aluminum chassis, and have instead chosen to adopt new materials like high-density fiberglass, or an exterior aluminum chassis with plastic internal parts. This is just shameful and goes to show that Ultrabook makers have no taste. Apple would never allow this since they take design and quality of a product very seriously, but hey Apple’s still evil.

To top it off, the use of plastic will not only allow Ultrabook makers to increase the number of units produced, but it is also a cost-saving mesaure. A unibody chassis costs between $40 and $80, the new aluminum design with plastic internals is said to cost between $20 and $30. Would you rather own the real deal (MacBook Air) or a wannabe copy (Ultrabook)? The choice is yours.

Oh hey! The holiday season is just about to get started and deals are being announced on a daily basis. Hot off the press today, Apple has begun putting teaser pages on its online stores for a “one -day shopping event” that will take place around the world this Friday.

Apple has been offering a sale on Black Friday for a while now and they are continuing the tradition this year. Speaking of sales, when was the last time Google offered a sale on Black Friday? The company has not revealed what items will be on sale this Friday. Black Friday occurs on the last Friday of November and is usually the biggest shopping day of the year in the U.S.

Going by their teaser page, it seems that customers will discover “amazing iPad, iPod and Mac gifts” during the one-day event. MacStoriesreports that the teaser page has appeared on a number of Apple’s international online stores, including Australia, Italy and U.K., and the U.S. store is expected to receive its own banner within hours.

The special one-day Apple shopping event. This Friday, November 25.

Mark your calendar now, and come back to the Apple Online Store for the special one-day event. You’ll discover amazing iPad, iPod and Mac gifts for everyone on your list.

MacRumors reports that “Apple’s discounts are typically relatively small compared to other retailers.” In addition, last year, Apple offered $101 discounts on their iMac, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lines, with $11-$41 discounts on the iPods and iPads.

Lately, lots of “research reports” have been coming out on Apple. For example, last week, it was reported that Mac sales were continuing to surge despite a declining PC market in Europe. Today, a new report by research firm Canalys suggests that Apple is expected to overtake HP and become the top PC maker in the world next year. Wait..what!? A company that has the least amount of marketshare is supposed to surpass the world’s largest PC maker. Maybe HP should have spun off its PC business after all. Oh, how times have changed.

Canalys is predicting this due to the number of projected sales of both the iPad and Mac lineup. In fact, Apple already holds second place in the worldwide PC market, with tablet sales included, as of the third quarter of 2011. So, it is only a matter of time before they are number one. In addition, Canalys has estimated that 2011 global PC shipments will reach 415 million, a 15 percent year over year increase due largely to the popularity of tablets like Apple’s iPad. Wait a second, there are other tablets? Apparently there are…the research firm also predicts that tablet shipments are expected to reach 59 million by the end of 2011, with 22 million of those sales alone coming in the fourth quarter. Um yeah, I’m sure most of them are iPads. Canalys also mentioned that Apple’s iPad will once again dominate tablet sales in the fourth quarter, though the newly released Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet are also expected to boost sales. iPad is doomed indeed. Not to mention, since the announcement of the Kindle Fire, Amazon’s share price has gone down nearly 16%.

In addition, Canalys noted that PC makers are struggling to compete with Apple’s profitability, though the release of Android 4.0, known as “Ice Cream Sandwich,” may help sales of tablets that compete with the iPad. So wait, how exactly is Apple losing if the company is dominating in the “money-making” game? It is always about the money.

Finally, Canalys also believes that Ultrabooks, a MacBook Air copy, aims to compete with Apple’s iPad, will drive notebook sales over the next five years. Let’s take that with a pinch of salt, eh?

Along with the iPhone 4S unveiling in October, Apple also announced a new price for the iPhone 3GS; free with a two-year contract from AT&T. Smart move because this shows that Apple is taking on the lower-end Android handset market head-on.

Now, AT&T has raised the price of the iPhone 3GS smartphone to $0.99. Not a very smart move. One possible explanation for this decision comes from an AT&T employee, according toMacRumors:

I work at AT&T, this is being done to help prevent fraud as the 99 cents cannot be billed to your bill. It must be charged to a credit or bank issued debt card. Fraudsters are using stolen identities to steal these handsets … been an issue since they went free.

In fact, the two-year old iPhone 3GS has been second-best selling smartphone in the U.S. during the third quarter of this year, behind only its successor, the iPhone 4. I don’t understand how this is possible if Android is “winning”. Also, it should be noted that the iPhone 3GS is available for $0 with a two year contract at Apple Stores, Wal Marts, Best Buys, Radio Shacks, Targets, etc.

Bottom line is that over four years after the original iPhone, AT&T is still stupid. I still don’t see the need for a price raise…

The patent war continues between Apple and a majority of companies. If it isn’t with Apple wannabe Samsung, it is with HTC. But wait! There’s more. Apple is also involved in a patent lawsuit with Motorola. Last April, Motorola originally sued Apple regarding MobileMe due to data synchronization patent. The case has sure gotten ugly since then.

According to Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents, it was a “dreadful” day for Apple, during a hearing held Friday in the German city of Mannheim. It appears that a German court appears poised to rule against Apple and in favor of Motorola over alleged patent infringement related to iCloud. Honestly, I’m not surprised by the decision because Motorola is known to hold a lot of mobile related patents. Mueller said that at this point in the proceedings, the court does not appear to believe any of Apple’s arguments, and he’s confident that if the court made a ruling on Friday, it would have been in favor of Motorola Mobility. He also points out that the case can cost Apple $2.7 billion! Holy moly!

The court doesn’t appear to buy any of Apple’s defenses at this stage. It may still change mind until the ruling, which is scheduled for February 3, 2012, 9 AM local time, but if it had had to rule today, I have no doubt that Apple would have lost.

Fortunately for Apple, a final decision is not scheduled to be delivered until Feb. 3, 2012. But Mueller still feels that Motorola is “fairly likely” to win a patent injunction against Apple’s iCloud product.

In addition, the judge raised the possibility of Apple developing a workaround for iCloud to avoid infringing Motorola’s patent, but Apple’s lawyers pressed their case that the risk to Apple’s business was still severe.